Dieting - it's all in the mind

It must be every slimmer's dream - a way to lose weight without dieting, with no need for calorie or carb counting or arduous gym regimes. But after years of research into the secrets of permanent weight loss, that's exactly what two psychologists have come up with.

It must be every slimmer's dream - a way to lose weight without dieting, with no need for calorie or carb counting or arduous gym regimes.

But after years of research into the secrets of permanent weight loss, that's exactly what two psychologists have come up with.

Professor Ben (C) Fletcher and Dr Karen Pine, from the University of Hertfordshire, believe that if you can break the habits that made you fat in the first place, you can lose pounds without obsessing about food.

In fact, they make a point of not focusing on food.

"When you are on a food diet you become very sensitive to external cues and are using your willpower all the time and trying not to think about food. Unfortunately the opposite happens," says Fletcher.

Now, they have devised The No Diet Diet which, they say, will help you lose around 2lb a week without calorie counting. And even better, the weight loss will be sustained afterwards, they insist.

Alternative

Much of the onus is on the individual realising their bad habits and doing something different. For instance, if a man pops into the local garage on his way to work for a newspaper and a packet of crisps as a force of habit, one suggestion is that he goes an alternative route to break that habit.

"Over time you accrue a web of habit," says Fletcher. "For instance, if you have an extra biscuit a day for a year, you might put on 20lb.

"It takes a long time to become fat. You are overweight because of that habit web. We tackle the broader habits that keep you fat. We are not just talking about food and exercise. The habits of what you eat are held in place by a wider set of habits, involving personality and psychology."

They say that if you follow their 28-day programme detailed in their book, The No Diet Diet, you can expect to be around 8lb lighter, happier and more contented with life. More than 1,000 people have been on the programme - all had lost weight and maintained their weight loss some three months later.

"We've found that, by and large, happy, open-minded people have a collection of habits and traits that keep them slim. Obese people, on the other hand, have other habits that ensure that they steadily pile on the weight," says Fletcher.

The scientists found that over-eating and lack of exercise is not the main reason people become overweight. It's their habits.

It's all down to behavioural flexibility, they say. If you become more flexible in your daily life you'll not only lose weight but you will be happier and more successful in all areas of your life.

Different

"We get people to try new ways to do something different to break them out of the habit machine that's making them fat," says Fletcher.

"People get into a comfort zone of behaviour and don't even know that if they try a new behaviour it might be more effective."

Pine continues: "If you can get people to do something different and see that they are the agents for change in their lives, that can have an effect. And it's not just tackling their food habits. It's tackling their life.

"We say, `Go a different way to work or read a different newspaper or mix with a different group of friends now and again'. Small changes can lead to big changes in their lifestyle.

"One woman said, `I went a different way to work and saw a poster for a choir and now I go to the choir twice a week, I'm not sitting in front of the telly eating and I've lost weight'."

Being flexible means making small, progressive changes in your life, such as stopping and noticing things on your way to work rather than rushing to the office, and subtly altering your character from day to day.

The programme is split into the following phases. The first four should take about one week each.

PHASE ONE

This lays the groundwork for habit breaking.

Carry out one simple task each day, like giving up watching TV for a day.

Perform two extra tasks in the first week, making sure they aren't too onerous, such as listening to a different radio station.

PHASE TWO

To help break the habits that govern your behaviour in day-to-day life, behave a little differently each day in seven key personality areas.

Assertive-Unassertive

Calm-Energetic

Definite-Flexible

Spontaneous-Systematic

Introverted-Extroverted

Conventional-Unconventional

Individual centred-Group centred

Over a week, find seven new things to do, one for each day. For example, if you are normally an unassertive person, be a little more assertive in putting your views across.

PHASE THREE

You should be becoming more mentally flexible and less habit-bound. Food cravings should begin to subside. You need to look at your habits and measure their negative effects on your life by working your way through some short questionnaires.

The emphasis is on losing weight by making life more interesting and doing something different.

Carry out one simple task each day, to break the habits surrounding how you interact with people.

Carry out two extra tasks during the week, selected from a menu of new activities. It may be as simple as throwing something away you no longer need or turning off your mobile phone for a day.

PHASE FOUR

This phase helps target problem areas, your most ingrained negative habits, in the subconscious. Each day you will need to:

Act in a different way towards somebody.

Behave differently in a normal daily situation.

PHASE FIVE

This should enable you to continue losing weight by providing you with the tools which embed habit-breaking into your life.

It might involve you sitting down with a friend and spotting each other's habits before they gain unwelcome influence over your life.

The No Diet Diet, by Professor Ben (C) Fletcher (COR), Dr Karen Pine and Dr Danny Penman, is published by Orion, priced £9.99. Available from Thursday January 5.

For more information about the No Diet Diet, go to www.nodietdietway.com